There are times when athletes work hard in the months leading to a big race yet find themselves disappointed with their performance on race day.

This very often boils down to anxiety and lack of mental preparation.

It is great to have a competitive drive but some athletes put so much pressure on themselves that they fail to perform.

Race day comes along, they have been unable to sleep well and stomach any food, the legs feel so heavy and the mind is full of so many thoughts... the majority being negative thinking.

Anxiety is one of the most common issues faced by athletes.

How should one feel before a race? There is a fine line between being too relaxed and too anxious. I like to ask athletes, on a scale from one to ten, ten being most anxious, how much would their score be before a big race or competition?

And what would you like that score to be?

I would advise athletes to be somewhere between four and six on the scale.

If you are too relaxed or too anxious there is a probability that you will underperform.

However, there are also individual differences one must take note of. Some people perform better if they are a bit more excited while others prefer being more relaxed.

It is important to note how you feel before race day. If need be keep a performance diary. So, if you had a good race last weekend, what did you eat the night before, on the day of the race, how many hours did you sleep, how did you spend the day before the race and what were your emotions like.

I share a joke with athletes I work with, so if you had a great performance and before the race you had a spat with your partner, then next time you need to have another argument... well, not literally though!

Yes, we can create the emotions we want.

Some may find this hard to believe but through mental training this is possible. We can be in control of the way we feel.

There are two ways of thinking, positive or negative. Some things may not be going so great for you, however if you stop, calm down and think... is there a more positive way of looking at the situation?

Last year, I took part in the half marathon for the first time.

Due to being so busy with work in the winter months I was doing very little training.

So, I went for the race with little preparation and some trepidation. Will I finish it?... will I really suffer?

Because I have been working on sport psychology for so long, the skills I show others are ingrained in my mind. I took the liberty of applying the same teachings on myself.

On one hand I wrote ‘ejja caqlaq!’ (come on, move it!) while on the other hand I drew a smiley face. These reminders helped me throughout the race, and I completed it without stopping thanks to my mental toughness on the day.

We have what I call ‘a mental switch’ in our brain that we can click on for mental toughness on big occasions. Your mind can take you so much further than you think you can if you only work on your mental skills.

Results can improve with just one or two skills practised regularly during training and possibly even in everyday life.

Invest in mental preparation, it can make a big difference.

muscatadele@gmail.com